Study Grant: the Pursuit of Happiness

Study Grant: The Pursuit of Happiness

Annotated Bibliography Prof. Ryan Rynbrandt

My research has focused on the intellectual roots of the Pursuit of Happiness in American Political culture, the scientific study of happiness in the field of positive psychology, the use of survey measures to assess the state of happiness in America, and the implications of all of the above for governance in modern America.

The Founders and their Intellectual Forebears on the Pursuit of Happiness:

Books  McMahon, Darrin (2006). Happiness: A History. New York, NY: Atlantic Monthly Press.

o McMahon traces the western intellectual history of happiness as a concept. He investigates how the concept was defined and the causal factors hypothesized by philosophers, scientists, theologians, artists and politicians from the ancient Greeks to the 20th Century.

 Dunn, Susan, ed. (2006). Something That Will Surprise the World: The Essential Writings of the Founding Fathers. New York, NY: Basic Books.

o An excellent collection of essays, speeches, personal letters and other writings of Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, John Adams, and Madison. Presented largely without comment (aside from a brief introduction of each), the volume lets the historical figures speak for themselves.

 Jefferson, Thomas (2005). Light and Liberty: Reflections on the Pursuit of Happiness. Eric Peterson, editor. New York, NY: Random House.

o Collection of categorized quotes and passages from Jefferson’s writings. While it is good for finding quotes and certainly gives some insight into his thinking, most passages are not more than a few paragraphs long, and are thus divorced from their context.

 Burstein, Andrew and Nancy Isenberg (2010). Madison and Jefferson. New York: Random House

o An account of the personal and political partnership between Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Unlike many accounts, the book presents Madison more as a senior partner in the relationship.

 Isaacson,Walter (2003). Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

o Entertaining and informative look at an entertaining and important figure. A full account of Franklin’s remarkable life. Franklin was crucial in shaping not only America’s political destiny, but its political culture.

 McCullough, David (2002). John Adams. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

o Brilliantly written biography of Adams that not only chronicles his life, but gives great insight into the person himself and the times in which he lived. The book gives a sweeping view of how Adams’ ideas and actions became bedrocks of American political culture and government.

 Fleming, Thomas (2009). The Intimate Lives of the Founding Fathers. New York: Harper Collins.

of 8 o Fleming investigates the relationships between the founders and the women in their lives – mothers, wives and lovers. The book is an interesting look at men who are more often presented only as public figures rather than as flesh and blood human beings.

 Howard Zinn (1995). A People’s History of the United States: 1492-Present. New York. NY: Harper Collins.

o I re-read the first half of Zinn’s critical look at American history to bring some balance to my reading. Most of what I had read was directly from the perspective of the founding generation, or indirectly through their biographers.

Articles  Darnton, Robert. (1995, Autumn). The Pursuit of Happiness. The Wilson Quarterly. 19(4). Darnton traces the history of the Pursuit of Happiness from Voltaire to Locke to Jefferson and discusses implications for modern America.

 Busch, Michael (2008, Spring). Adam Smith and Consumerism’s Role in Happiness. Major Themes in Economics 10. Busch argues that Adam Smith proposed that happiness was to be found in tranquility and not in consumption. Smith promoted three values for a happy society: justice, beneficence and prudence.

 Salkever, Stephen (1978, Autumn). Rousseau & the Concept of Happiness. Polity. 11(1) Salkever argues that Rousseau’s concept of Happiness was the unifying basis of his moral and political philosophy.

 Critchley, Peter (2003). Rousseau and Human Happiness. Academia.edu. Like Salkever, Critchley argues that the unifying element of Rousseau’s work was the development of a doctrine aimed at the happiness of the human race.

 Townsend, Kathleen Kennedy (2011, June 20). The Pursuit of Happiness: What the Founders Meant – and Didn’t. The Atlantic. Kennedy Townsend argues that the Founders’ concept of happiness was not one of individualistic self- aggrandizement but one of public-spirited engagement with the community.

 Spier, Fred (2013, September) Pursuing the Pursuit of Happiness: Delving into the Secret Minds of the American Founding Fathers*. Social Evolution in History. 12(2). Spier argues that Jefferson’s inspiration for the Pursuit of Happiness included not only Locke, Wollaston and Burlamaqui but also the two Enlightenment atheists, Paul-Henri Thiry Baron d'Holbach and Denis Diderot.

 Cook, Scott A. and William Earle Klay (2014, Winter). George Washington and Enlightenment Ideas on Educating Future Citizens and Public Servants. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 20 (1) 45-55. Cook and Klay emphasize that George Washington actively promoted educating young Americans in the science of government and Enlightenment ideas about the nature and causes of happiness.

Historical Documents:  William Wollaston (1750, first ed. 1722) “The Religion of Nature Delineated.” London: J. and P. Knapton. Wollaston wrote a half century before the Declaration that “…natural religion is grounded upon this triple and strict alliance or union of truth, happiness and reason, all in the same interest and conspiring by the same methods to advance and perfect human nature and its truest definition is, The pursuit of happiness by the practice of reason and truth.”

 Franklin, Benjamin, (1785). On True Happiness. In this essay, Franklin argues that true happiness is grounded in, and is inseparable from, the practice of virtue.

 Deliberative bodies at the founding at which the founding assumption (that happiness is an inalienable right, that governments exist to facilitate it, and that failure to facilitate it justifies reform or revolution) is referenced:

o Journal Notes of the Virginia Ratification Convention Proceedings, June 9, 1788.

of 8 o Debates in the Convention of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution, In Convention, Boston, January 9, 1788.

o Original state Constitutions of the states of NJ, Penn, GA, MA, MD, NY, and NC.

 Anti-federalist papers in which the founding assumption is reiterated:

o Robert Yates (Brutus),Anti-Federalist No. 54, "Apportionment and Slavery: Northern and Southern Views," from Brutus III "The Apportionment of Members Among the States," November 15, 1787

o Robert Yates (Brutus), Anti-Federalist No. 24, "Objections to a Standing Army (Part I)," New York Journal, January17, 1788

o Robert Yates (Brutus), Anti-Federalist No. 17, "Federalist Power Will Ultimately Subvert State Authority," October 18, 1788

o Richard Henry Lee (The Federal Farmer), Anti-Federalist No. 37, "Factions and the Constitution," essay "The Federal Farmer I," October 8, 1787

 Mary Wollstonecraft (1792), “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Chap. IX. Of the Pernicious Effects Which Arise from the Unnatural Distinctions Established in Society”. Even in her withering critique of the patriarchy, Wollstonecraft reiterates the founding assumption.

Positive Psychology – The Research on Happiness and Wellbeing

Books  Boniwell, Ilona (2012) Positive Psychology in a Nutshell: The Science of Happiness, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

o This is an easily readable introduction into the field of positive psychology. It is a bit light on substance for a textbook, but addresses the major issues in and findings of the leading scholars in the field and is a more enjoyable read than your average intro textbook.

 Moneta, Giovanni (2014). Positive Psychology: A Critical Introduction. Hampshire, UK: Palgrave MacMillan.

o Another introduction to positive psychology – not as readable as but more informative than Boniwell’s book.

 Haidt, Jonathan (2006). The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom. Cambridge, MA: Basic Books.

o Drawing on the findings of positive psychologists and other experts in well-being, Haidt examines claims made by sages and philosophers throughout history regarding happiness. Major topics include optimism, reciprocity, hypocrisy, striving vs. acceptance, love, resilience, virtue, spirituality, etc.

 Hanson, Rick PhD. (2013). Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence. New York, NY: Harmony Books.

o Neuroscientist Rick Hanson argues that one can train the brain to balance our inherent negativity bias with four steps (H.E.A.L.). Have a positive experience. Enrich it. Absorb it. Link positive and negative material. Repeating and savoring positive experiences strengthens the neural pathways associated with wellbeing, while dwelling on the negative does the opposite.

of 8  Viscott, David M.D. (1996) Emotional Resilience: Simple Truths for Dealing with the Unfinished Business of Your Past, New York, NY: Three Rivers Press.

o Emotional resilience is one of the foundations of happiness according to much happiness research. Dr. Viscott argues that emotional resilience is attained through direct truth-telling about one’s feelings to people who hurt us at the time they hurt us. The more honest we are, the happier we are. The more we hold in the truth, the less happy we are.

 Dweck, Carol PhD. (2007). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York, NY: Random House.

o A leading researchers on beliefs, and a leader in positive psychology, Dweck describes two approaches life: the fixed mindset and the growth mindset. She shows how these beliefs lead to thoughts and actions. She argues that the growth mindset allows people to thrive and describes how it can be learned and developed.

 Post, S. & Neimark, J. (2007). Why good things happen to good people: The exciting new research that proves the link between doing good and living a longer, healthier, happier life. New York: Random House.

o The title pretty much says it all – the book basically documents research findings on the links between caring, kindness and compassion and life satisfaction, self-realization and physical wellness.

 HH The Dalai Lama with Howard Cutler, MD (1998) The Art of Happiness. New York, NY: Riverhead Books.

o One of the best-selling books on happiness, the book is actually written by Dr. Cutler, a western psychologist and chronicles a series of conversations with the Dalai Lama. The basic argument is that happiness derives from kindness, compassion and a sense of common humanity.

 Goleman, Daniel (2004). Destructive Emotions: How Can We Overcome Them? New York, NY: Bantam Books.

o This book chronicles a series of conversations between a number of leading western academics (philsophers, psychologists, neuroscientists, etc.) and the Dalai Lama along with other Tibetan monks. The interaction between the two groups led to scientific research documenting the power of meditation to transform the brain.

 Lehrer, Jonah (2009). How We Decide. Boston, MA : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

o While not directly about positive psychology, the book contains significant insights about the neuroscience of decision-making, an important element of creating a happy life.

Articles  Emmons, Robert A. and Michael McCullough (2003). Counting Blessings Versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and Subjective Well-Being in Daily Life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 84(2). Experiments demonstrated that gratitude journaling increased positivity about life, exercise frequency and short-term optimism, decreased negative physical symptoms, and improved mood.

o Dr. Emmons gives practical advice on gratitude in this article https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/love- and-gratitude/201509/gratitude-science-4-paths-lead-love-and-happiness

 Cole, Steven et al. (2015) Myeloid differentiation architecture of leukocyte transcriptome dynamics in perceived social isolation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 112(49). The authors find that loneliness weakens the immune system and increases incidence of cancer, neurodegenerative disease and viral infections. Page 4 of 8  Capaldi, C.A et al. (2015, Dec 20). Flourishing in Nature : A review of the benefits of connecting with nature and its application as a wellbeing intervention. International Journal of Wellbeing 5(4). The authors argue that disconnectedness with nature leads to lower levels of hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing.

 McConnell, A. et al.(2011, Dec). Friends with benefits: On the positive consequences of pet ownership. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 101(6). The authors find that pets can provide social support, leading to many positive psychological and physical benefits for owners.

 Diener, Ed and Shigehiro Oishi (2005). The Nonobvious Social Psychology of Happiness. Psychological Inquiry. 16(4) A review of findings in social psychology relevant to wellbeing.

 Hill, E.M. et al. (2015, Aug 19). Spreading of healthy mood in adolescent social networks. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 282(1813). This study of high school students suggests that while depression is not contagious, happiness can be if depressed students have enough friends with a healthy mood.

 Psychology Today – While not an academic journal, this magazine often puts out articles that take recent advances in the field and present them in an easily digestible and usable format for a broader non-expert audience. Here are some examples:

o Does Being Religious Make Us Happy? https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/curious/201510/does-being- religious-make-us-happy?collection=1080151

o Beyond Happiness: The Upside of Feeling Down https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201501/beyond- happiness-the-upside-feeling-down

o What we Get when we Give https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/raising-happiness/201002/what-we-get- when-we-give

o What Happy People Do Differently https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201307/what-happy-people- do-differently

o Smile: A Powerful Tool https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/prefrontal-nudity/201208/smile-powerful- tool

o 8 Negative Attitudes of Chronically Unhappy People https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/communication-success/201502/8-negative-attitudes-chronically- unhappy-people

o 7 Ways to Make Your Happiness Last. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/where-science-meets-the- steps/201510/7-ways-make-your-happiness-last

 Aubrey, Allison. (2014, July 14). Food-Mood Connection: How You Eat Can Amp Up Or Tamp Down Stress. NPR. Author discusses research demonstrating how food can change mood, and particularly our response to stress.

 Brooks, Arthur C. (2015, Nov 21). Choose to Be Grateful. It Will Make You Happier. New York Times. Brooks discusses some of the major research on gratitude and its benefits for mood and health.

 Smith, Peter Andrey. (2015, June 27). Can the Bacteria in Your Gut Explain Your Mood? New York Times. This article discusses the research on how gut bacteria can impact mood.

of 8  Achor, Shawn (2012, January-February). Positive Intelligence. Harvard Business Review. This article discusses an approach to business that emphasizes the research showing that happier workers are better workers. Notes interventions such as increasing social support, mitigating employee stress, etc.

 Young, Susan. (2010, December) Stanford Research Shows Sharing in Sorrow Might Make Us a Bit Happier. Stanford Report. Stanford University. This article discusses research at Stanford showing that people systematically underestimate how often others feel sad or upset, and that doing so has a depressive effect on mood.

 Anonymous (2006, Dec 23). Happiness (and How to Measure It). The Economist. 23 Dec. 2006. Addresses the paradox that while the rich are in general happier than the poor, in rich countries increasing wealth does not translate into increasing happiness.

 Keltner, Dacher (2010, Sept 29). Hands On Research: The Science of Touch. Greater Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life. University of California at Berkeley. Addresses the research on physical touch and its benefits for emotional and physical health.

Film and Video:  A playlist of TED Talks about the science of happiness: http://www.ted.com/playlists/4/what_makes_you_happy

 A TED Talk by the founding father of positive psychology, Martin Seligman http://www.ted.com/talks/martin_seligman_on_the_state_of_psychology#t-1352480

 Dr. Alan Watkins gives a talk entitled “How to hack your biology and be in the zone every single day”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xc3XdOiGGI&feature=youtu.be

 Documentary: Happy (2011) Wadi Rum Films, Inc. The film follows real people and features leading scientists in happiness research.

Measuring and Assessing Happiness (in America and across the globe):

Major Studies:  Gallup Healthways Wellbeing Studies: These studies use measures of wellbeing that track nicely with the eudaimonic view of happiness. Gallup Healthways uses ten questions to create an index of five elements of well-being: purpose, social, financial, community, and physical. The studies are conducted at the international, national, state and community level. The reports analyze trends and makes recommendations.

o Gallup Healthways: State of Global Wellbeing – Full Report 2013 (May be downloaded at http://www.well- beingindex.com/). The survey was conducted in 135 countries. Most country surveys had an n of at least 1,000, up to 2,000 or more in larger countries. A few smaller countries between 500-1000. Countries with the highest wellbeing were Panama, Costa Rica, Denmark, Austria and Brazil. USA made the top 20.

o Gallup Healthways: State of American Wellbeing – Full Report 2013. (May be downloaded at http://www.well-beingindex.com/). Using the same measures as above and based on average state rankings from 2008-2013 studies, the happiest states are Hawaii, Minnesota, Utah, Colorado and Montana. Texas averages right in the middle 24th or 25th.

o Gallup Healthways: State of American Wellbeing – State Rankings 2014(May be downloaded at http://www.well-beingindex.com/). Using the same measures as above, the 2014 study ranked states with the top wellbeing for the year to be Alaska, Hawaii, South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. Texas ranked 10th.

of 8 o Gallup Healthways: State of American Wellbeing – Community Rankings 2014(May be downloaded at http://www.well-beingindex.com/). Using the same measures as above, the 2014 study ranked the communities with the top wellbeing for the year to be North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Urban Honolulu, Raleigh, Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, El Paso and Austin-Round Rock.

o Psychology Today article about the GH studies: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain- trust/201509/the-science-happiness-well-being-and-twinkies

o Gallup article about the GH studies: http://www.gallup.com/businessjournal/150671/Happiness-Is-Love-and- 75K.aspx?g_source=happiness&g_medium=search&g_campaign=tiles

 United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network - World Happiness Report 2015: This global study used a measure of subjective life evaluation. The report includes not only country rankings, but analysis of changes since the last study, breakdown of happiness by age and gender, recommendations for public policy, discussion of the neuroscience of happiness, child mental health, etc.

o According to the WHR, the happiest countries on earth in 2015 are Switzerland, Iceland, Denmark, Norway, and Canada. The United States ranks 15th.

 Gallup Global Emotions Report 2016: This global study consists of 147,000 surveys in 140 countries. Respondents were asked about whether they had 5 different positive experiences and 5 different negative experiences and

o Highest on the positive experience index were Paraguay, Guatemala, Honduras, Uzbekistan and Ecuador.

o Countries with lowest negative experiences were Uzbekistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Taiwan.

o The report admits that the geographical groupings suggest reason to suspect cross-country comparisons may not be valid because of cultural norms in how questions are answered.

o The US was not mentioned in the report summary.

Articles  Yang, Yang (2008) Social inequalities in happiness in the United States, 1972 to 2004: An age-period-cohort analysis, American Sociological Review. 73(2) Yang uses data on happiness from the General Social Survey, 1972 to 2004. Findings include general increased happiness over life course, lower happiness for Baby Boomers, a sex and race gap that narrowed in the last decade of the study, and an educational gap.

Websites  Centers for Disease Control – Health Related Quality of Life. Discusses the definitions and measurement of wellbeing. http://www.cdc.gov/hrqol/wellbeing.htm

Politics, Governance and Happiness:

Books:  Bok, Derek (2011). The Politics of Happiness, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

o Former president of Harvard explores research on happiness and well-being and the potential implications for policy and governance. While much of the book seems to be more about what we can’t do and why, he does makes recommendations in the areas of education, healthcare, economic inequality and general governance.

of 8  Layard, Richard (2005). Happiness: Lessons From a New Science. New York, NY: Penguin Books.

o An economist reviews research on happiness and makes recommendations for personal, economic and governmental action to increase happiness. Ideas include increased national focus on measures of happiness, more aid for the poor, investments in treating mental illness, family friendly practices at work, and community life. He also recommends eliminating high unemployment, prohibiting commercial advertising to children and reforming education.

 Stone, Deborah (2008). The Samaritan’s Dilemma: Should Government Help Your Neighbor? New York, NY: Nation Books

o Stone argues that democracy depends on altruism instead of self-interest. Stone calls for government action to give people more power over their own lives, create more opportunities to serve, make webs of support and mutual help, provide support for those caring for families, etc.

 Michel, John (2015). The Art of Positive Leadership: Becoming a Person Worth Following. Bloomington, IN: Westbow Press

o General John Michel has led tens of thousands of people on six continents in the private sector and in the military, in combat operations and peacetime, and has been in charge of numerous multi-billion dollar transformation efforts. He argues that effective leadership is supportive, collaborative and others-centered. He promotes leadership based on listening to and empowering others, pursuing their best interest and setting an example of selfless service.

Articles:  Esty, Amos (2004) The New Wealth of Nations: Does Bhutan have a better way to measure national progress? American Scientist Vol 92. This article looks at Bhutan’s adoption of “Gross National Happiness”, with its four pillars: promotion of equitable and sustainable socio-economic development, preservation and promotion of cultural values, conservation of the natural environment, and establishment of good governance.

 Karma, Ura (2005,Sept-Dec). Gross National Happiness. Sociological Bulletin. 54(3). Ura Karma discusses and defends the Bhutanese Government’s adoption of “Gross National Happiness” rather than traditional measures such as GDP in guiding public policy.

 Dolan, P. & White, M.P. (2007). How can measures of subjective well-being be used to inform public policy? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2, 71-85. The authors argue against replacing traditional measures with measures of well-being as goals of policy, but discuss how measures of subjective well-being can supplement current policy goals.

 White, Mark (2014, Dec 2) The Problems with Measuring and Using Happiness for Policy Purposes. Mercatus Center Website. George Mason University. White discusses the difficulties in measuring happiness and the resulting problems with government using such measures for policy purposes.

Many thanks to Collin College and the Study Grant Committee for this experience!